The gutters on your home are there for a reason: They usher in the water from your roofline safely away from your home. When your gutters become clogged, they can’t-do their job, and all of that rooftop runoff can cause major damage in and around your home. Here are some of the issues clogged rain gutters can cause:
Failing Foundation
Your gutter’s No. 1 purpose is to ensure that water from your roofline doesn’t have the chance to collect along your home’s foundation. When your gutters are clogged, the water overflows and deposits near the foundation of your home. A flooded foundation can shift, crack and even fail.
Flooded Basement
The water pouring from your gutters can have another consequence: Basement flooding. If the water your gutters deposit near your home can’t safely drain away, chances are, that water will find its way into your basement.
Roof Damage
The water that builds up in clogged gutters can back up into your roofline. It can cause your shingles and underlying roof supports to weaken and rot. In the end, clogged gutters can jeopardize the function of your roof and shorten its lifespan.
Rotting Fascia, Siding, Doors and Windows
The water that’s trapped in your gutters has to go somewhere. As it flows over the edges of the gutter, it comes into contact with all of your home’s features, including fascia boards, siding, windows, and doors. That water can lead to rotting and weakening of your home’s exterior features.
Mold
Everyone knows that moisture brings mold. From your roofline to your basement, water exposure due to clogged gutters can cause mold growth in your home.
Ruined landscaping
Plants and landscaping features can only take so much water. Water dumping out of your clogged gutters can kill flowers, shrubs, and trees, and it can wash away mulch and decorative retaining walls. If it’s allowed to persist, the water from clogged gutters can even damage sidewalks and driveways.
Ice dams
Ice dams, or a build-up of ice on the edge of a roof, is a threat to any home. That threat increases, however, when water can’t escape clogged gutters. The heavy ice within the gutters can cause them to bow and pull away from the home’s roofline. Even worse, as the lower layers of ice dams melt, the water finds its way under your roof and into your home, where it can cause mold, rot and structural damage.
The key to preventing the issue that comes from clogged gutters is to keep gutters clear debris. That means cleaning your gutters at least twice per year. Or, you can avoid this dreaded task and protect your home from the dangers of clogged gutters with SafeGuard Gutter Guards. SafeGuard Gutter Guards keep debris out of your gutters, so the water from your roofline continues to travel through the gutters and away from your home’s structure season after season. Call The Gutterman of TN to learn more about protecting your home with Gutter Guards.